


Bacon Hills

by framby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Chef Derek, Food Truck, M/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-05-07 12:11:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5456072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/framby/pseuds/framby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek is tired and alone and unhappy in New York, he doesn't like his job and would rather be in Beacon Hills with his family. So Derek quits everything and decides to start over. What he'll need is to figure out how to run a food truck business, who is the food blogger who writes bad reviews about him and how to get rid of a man that keeps appearing everywhere he goes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to znks who is my beta for this chapter and if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be posting this. 
> 
> wanna say hi? I'm over here: [tumblr](http://framby.tumblr.com/)

 

> “ ** _If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably already know that I’m from Beacon Hills. If you’re new here, well, now you know: I’m from Beacon Hills._**
> 
> **_If you’ve ever been to Beacon Hills or are planning on going I have a question for you: why? You probably ended up or will end up here because you’re visiting your third degree cousin’s old and dying aunt . I’m from here; going back is sort of expected, unfortunately._ **
> 
> **_[…]_ **
> 
> **_Gustatory speaking, the city is well known for how disgusting the tap water is and for its supermarket not selling freshly baked donuts. Heads Up: no, reheating frozen donuts still does not count as baking._ **
> 
> **_There are two small things that are worth your stay in Beacon Hills, though. One is the diner and the other is a new coffee shop. If you want to have the best pancakes in the world, head straight to Paula’s and asks for her special (hint: she will top the pancakes with roasted chestnuts). If you’re craving coffee go straight to the small coffee shop on Main Street. It’s coffee in its purer form._** “

\-          Excerpt from Foodman, November 2015

* * *

“Mom, Derek is still locked in the kitchen. Is it supposed to be Derek’s private property or can I still have access to the fridge?” Derek heard Cora yelling from behind the locked door. She pounded her fist against the wood and this time yelled at Derek. “Derek, I swear the second you come out of this kitchen I’m kicking your –“

Derek didn’t find out what Cora would kick because he opened the door and handed her a plate with freshly baked cookies on it. They weren’t her favorite kind but it was enough for her to take several from the plate, shoved some into her mouth for good measure. She swallowed loudly, angrily glaring at her brother.

“I don’t care if your cookies are the best, Derek. Don’t lock yourself into the kitchen. I need easy access to sugar and coffee.” She spun on her heels before changing her mind and taking one last cookie before leaving.

Derek went back into the kitchen and pushed the door closed. He was used to Cora digging at him and being  angry because he was always monopolizing the kitchen.

He had come home from New York a few hours previously; said his hellos and then disappeared into the kitchen directly. He had been in there for hours and wasn’t all that surprised  Cora almost barged in demanding some snacks.

Cooking in New York just wasn’t the same. Derek had the smallest kitchen known to mankind and barely enough time to microwave anything at night anyway. When he got home from work he was usually exhausted and besides, cooking for one was never fun or interesting. Cooking for his mother, father, and sisters in a big kitchen he knew his way around was a blessing, and Derek wasn’t about to pass up that opportunity. Even if it meant fighting Cora over kitchen dominance.

“Derek!” Laura attacked him from behind and hugged him as tight as she could . He jumped in surprise, her shouting and hugging forcing him out of his reverie. He hadn’t heard her come in, he wasn’t used to her sneaking around anymore.

They used to live together, had done for almost ten years. Then, three years ago, Laura got a promotion and moved all the way to Chicago. At least that was the official story.

Now, Derek lived alone in New York . He was working as a paralegal for a law firm. It was not a career but it was a job that paid well. It wasn’t what he had always wanted to do, but he had taken the safe road : a job in an office, the same schedule every day, paycheck at the end of the month. Simple life.

“What are you cooking?” Cora asked, making her way into the kitchen as well and quickly hugging her sister.

“I’ve moved on to pannacotta.”

“Is it edible?” Derek’s younger sister asked.

“It will be.” Cora tilted her head to the side, sizing him up, before strutting out of the room. Cora didn’t stay with them often. Derek had always been closer to Laura than Cora, who had her own private life that she didn’t talk about.

“Family’s coming over tomorrow morning. Want to go for a run before facing the circus?”  Laura offered while taking some of the pannacotta Derek offered her. The man only nodded once and Laura let him be after planting a kiss on his cheek.

“It’s good to see you cooking, Der.”

And he did, for three more solid hours. When he finally got to bed, he was tired; his body ached, his bones were popping, and his eyes were burning, but he felt lighter than when he had gotten there. Cooking had always made him feel better.

* * *

“Derek, baby bro’. Wake up!” Derek opened an eye only to be greeted by Laura’s big face right in his. “Wake up, time for our first and last run before anyone arrives.” She patted his head and happily strutted away once she was sure he was awake.

Derek wasn’t a fan of big gatherings, especially with his family and extended family; it made him feel uneasy. Laura had caught onto that right after Paige died, when she was watching him closely. That’s when she suggested they go running together, to get away from the house until the end of the overwhelming arrival when everyone was already seated. From that day they’d never stop running. Today was no exception.

Derek walked out of the front door and kneeled to tie up his shoelaces. Laura was already stretching in her too bright and too colorful pink and yellow outfit.

“At least hunters won’t shoot you because they think you’re an animal.” Laura nudged Derek and they started running toward the woods. They ran in silence at first, filling up their lungs with the fresh and cold November air. The ground was mildly frozen and with each step they could hear the leaves crunching under their shoes. They went up a hill, and picked up the rhythm, Laura quickening the pace just to see if Derek could follow. They raced each other and Derek could feel his lungs burning with every breath he took, his calves were getting sore and the wind was stinging his cheeks. Running cleared his mind. They didn’t have to talk, he knew she would challenge him and that he would push his body to its limit, it was a nice change from working out in a club.

“I’m dying.” Laura fell to the ground,getting her bottle of water from her bag and gulped the whole thing down before getting another bottle out and handing it to Derek.

“Am I dying Derek? I feel like my body is being swallowed by the dirt,” Laura said from the floor.

They had just arrived at the top of the hill. This was where they usually stopped to take a break and Laura, as usual, was being a bit dramatic after all the sweating and working out.

“You’re just tired. Your old woman body can’t handle in that much effort.”

“Oh, you made a joke. Am I supposed to laugh?” Laura shot Derek a grin and that’s how he knew they were alright. He lay down beside her and tried to slow down his pulse.

“So, how are you?”Laura asked, breathing loudly and trying to catch her breath.

“Good, I’m planning on making Bugnes.” Derek shrugged.

“The French beignet?”

“Yes.”

“Damn.” Laura sat up and patted Derek’s stomach. “How’s New York without me?”

“It’s peaceful. How’s Chicago?”

“Amazing but I do miss living with you.”  Derek turned his face away from her. He missed her too, he just didn’t know how to tell her. It had been just the two of them for such a long time and she was the one who understood him the best. They were completely different but he always felt close to her.

“You should quit. I don’t know what’s stopping you from quitting this job and getting a better one.” Laura stopped and thought for a second before continuing. “Not a better job but something you’d actually enjoy.”

“I have one word for you: the Economy.”

“That’s two words and it’s just an excuse that you use to hide behind.” Derek sighed and leaned on his elbows, looking at the city waking up down the hill. They’d had this discussion before. They pretty much had this discussion every time they came here to run since Derek had gotten the job.

“I’m not like you, Laura.”

“What does that even mean?” Derek fell silent. “I worry you know. I worry that this job is killing you little by little, I worry that you’re just losing sight of what is important and of who you are. You’re not the most eccentric guy but, Derek, this isn’t you.”  Derek he stared right away and tried to block everything she was saying because it echoed in his bones . She was right, she was almost always right and it hurt. It hurt to know that she could see so clearly through his bullshit and call him out on it. She was right, she was saying all the right things and hearing those words made Derek believe for a second that maybe he could do it.

It only lasted a second before he remembered everything that was at stake. There was no fooling himself, he was a coward. He wasn’t quitting his job.

“Let’s walk to Paula’s dinner. I need pancakes.”  Laura said after a while.

They walked to the dinner, pushing each other playfully on the narrow way down. Paula knew them and she had a sixth sense when it came to knowing when the siblings would be over for pancakes. As per usual their booth was free and they sat around the table like they would do at home.

“The Hale kids. How are you doing, sweeties?” Paula asked, a sketchpad in one hand, a pot of coffee in the other. She was chewing and popping her gum, Derek didn’t think he had ever seen her without gum in her mouth and it was both satisfyingly pleasant to see that some things never changed and scary.

Laura smiled and put her hand on Paula’s arm.

“We’re not exactly kids anymore, Paula. We’re good, thanks for asking. Mom said that she would be over during the week and she said you knew why?” Laura informed her with a puzzled look but Paula shrugged it off, popped her gum, and emptied the pot of coffee in Laura and Derek’s mugs.

“Pancakes with extra bacon for you, sweetie, and pancakes with extra nothing for grumpy?”Paula said before turning on her heels and walking back to the kitchen. They had been coming to the diner for decades now. They always ordered the same things and as the years went by they all earned their own nicknames. Derek hadn’t always been grumpy, though.

They ate their pancakes, chatting about Laura’s life in Chicago and her plans in the future. Laura always had lots of plans. She was full of life and she filled said life new ideas. It kept her going. She wasn’t eccentric like some people said, she was different and that was good. Derek liked that about Laura.

He stopped listening when someone in a red hoodie caught his eyes. He was lanky and pale, chewing on the string of his hoodie as he fidgeted anxiously with his mug. He was sitting at the other end of the place; glancing the door every ten seconds. He was making Derek nervous with all the jittering. He could see the man’s leg jumping up and down, quick and distracting and Derek wanted nothing more than to go over there and ask him to stop. He could feel the tension radiating from the young man and it was not an extra he wanted with his breakfast.

“You’re not listening, Derek.” Laura said, pinching his arms violently.

“You hurt me.” Derek pointed, finally looking back at her. He gazed down at his arm, a red patch already appearing.

“Come on, we have to go back home, everyone should be here now.” They gathered their things and walked out of the restaurant. Derek glanced back to see the man in the hoodie. He was still sitting at the same table but now he was chatting with a red haired woman.

Derek didn’t notice the man peek up at him as he pushed the door and left.

Derek didn’t exactly want to go home because soon enough he’d have to face all the questions that uncles and relatives loved to ask. They asked about your job and how your love life was doing. Derek didn’t like answering those questions and Laura loved answering for him. At this point, it was more like a game for them. Laura would invent him a life and they’d see how long it took for their father to come to Derek and tell him what an interesting year he had.

* * *

Derek smiled all day, talked to everyone and let Laura do the talking. Derek had seen Cora ditch the party early in the afternoon when he was picking some food from the kitchen.He saw her silently open the door and disappear. He covered for her the rest of the afternoon. She had never asked him to do it, but whenever he caught her sneaking out or doing something their parents wouldn’t appreciate Derek just covered for Cora. He felt like it was his big brother duty to do it. He never let her know but he was sure she knew.

It was Uncle Robert who was the first one to bid his goodbyes to Derek. Uncle Robert was known to be weird and for whispering things into people’s ears.

“You’re a very handsome young man but you’re so sad, Derek. Why are you so sad?” Uncle Robert stepped away from Derek and then patted his cheek. “You’re too young to settle.”  And with that Uncle Robert wobbled all the way to his car.

“I like Uncle Robert,” Derek’s dad said. “He has his very own way of always saying something that will keep you awake for weeks.”

Derek looked at his dad who was already going back to the living room with his hands in his pockets. He glanced back at the empty driveway, sighed, and ran his hand over his tired eyes. What a day.

* * *

Derek fell on his bed fully clothed and rolled over to get a pillow. It was finally the evening, he had no reason to linger in the living room and he didn’t want to. He tried to wiggle out of his jeans and shirt, got under the sheets and folded one arm under his head. He could still hear his cousins and aunts and uncles downstairs, laughing and talking. He could hear the clink of glasses being put away in the dishwasher and the footsteps of people going to sleep. He felt safe in his bed, he felt like he could finally relax.

Finding sleep proved to be difficult, he tossed and turned in his bed, punched his pillow to make it into a better shape.

_You’re too young to settle_

_You’re too young to settle_

Around three in the morning Derek got tired of looking at the digital clock and gave up on sleeping all together. His dad was right; Uncle Robert had a gift for saying exactly what would keep you awake at night. He was too young to settle. Settle about what?

Derek slipped out of bed and joined his father in the kitchen.

“Can’t sleep, son? Or getting ready for an early morning run?” Derek’s father, Alexander, needn’t to ask his son if he wanted coffee and waited for the fresh pot to brew. He sat in front of Derek and they drank in silence. Neither of them were big talkers.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Derek finally answered. His father looked up from his mug and raised an eyebrow at Derek.

“Uncle Robert?” Derek nodded and his father chuckled into his mug.

“It’s bothering me.”

“Because it’s true or because it’s just Uncle Robert being confusing?”

“Both.” Derek answered after considering the question.

“That man is the worst,” Alexander said before hurrying to add. “Don’t tell your mother I said that.”

Derek moved to the living room and watched cartoons until the rest of the house woke up. He saw Cora reappear at some point, she had sneaked back in during the night and was now getting up. She had a messy bun at the top of her head and a too big Wonder Woman shirt . She smiled at him and went straight back to her room.

Around ten Derek got up from the couch and decided to go for a walk. It had been a while since he took the time to walk around Beacon Hills. He went down the main road, his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. Nothing ever really changed here. No matter how long Derek stayed away, he could always come back here and find the exact same shops and the exact same people walking around town. It was both reassuring and depressing.

Derek turned left after Paula’s Dinner, today was not a pancake day . The air was cold and Derek could feel the wind hitting his cheeks , it was so cold it burned his face. Derek decided to stop in a new coffee shop. Coffee was more than necessary at this point.

Derek pushed the door and was instantly greeted with the warm smell of cinnamon, coffee, and sugar. He walked to the counter and ordered his coffee before waiting in line.

“Derek Hale!” Derek turned around just in time to catch Kira who jumped right into his arms, giggling . He let her down gently and she clapped her hands together, jumping up and down in happiness. “I can’t believe you’re here. Come on, we have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Kira?” Derek wondered as he was being dragged around the shop by the small woman.

“Sit, now.” Kira pointed the chair in front of her and Derek followed her order. Still not sure what was happening. She plopped down in her own chair and leant towards Derek.

“I can’t believe you’re here.”

“You’ve said that already.” Kira narrowed her eyes at Derek and shrugged.

“Still can’t believe it.” Derek looked around and then at his coffee.

“Didn’t your parent own a Japanese restaurant?”

“Turns out people can live without soba, but coffee, not so much. They turned the restaurant few months ago.”

“And you’re working for them?”

“I don’t exactly have a choice. Besides, Dad is still a teacher so Mom needs me around. It’s good, people tip well.” Kira chewed her muffin, stuffing her mouth like a hamster and shrugging in apology.

“I like this better,” Derek said holding up his mug of coffee and Kira rolled her eyes at him. She was aware that he wasn’t a big fan of her mother’s cooking.

“So, watcha doing in Beacon Hills, big guy?”

“Thanksgiving, I had to be here.”

“Of course. How many people?”

“We have a full house.” Derek simply answered.

Kira winced in sympathy, she had been around long enough to know that Derek didn’t like having too many people around and that spending too much time with his noisy family was not something he was looking forward to.

They had met one day while Derek was picking Cora up from high school. Kira was tripping over lacrosse sticks and Derek had caught her. It was instant friendship. For some reason Derek liked Kira’s babbling and her bubbly behavior. She was in the same classes as Cora but had always been closer to Derek.

“If you want to stay here and hide, you’re more than welcome.” She licked her fingers  covered in muffin crumbs and sugar. “You could help in the kitchen, my mom would love bickering with you.”

Derek smiled, genuinely smiled. Because it didn’t seem like a crazy idea, he could see himself trying to help Kira’s mom and he could see them getting into a fight about cooking. Being around those people and around Kira, he felt welcomed much like being with his family. Except that here he didn’t have the pressure of making them proud.

He knew they would love him and banter with him just the same no matter what. He missed this, he missed it more than anything.

“Are you still taking cooking lessons?” Derek sharply refocused his attention on Kira. He glanced around to make sure that nobody had heard what Kira had just said. It was a secret. Nobody knew but her. After a while in the city, after spending too many evenings doing nothing or working too late and after another trip home he realized that cooking was more than just a way to pass time for him and Derek had signed up for cooking classes.

They had spent an entire evening skyping and browsing the internet to find the perfect cooking classes for Derek. It didn’t matter if he went home even later, if he was exhausted and always found some food under his nails and pretty much on every shirt he owned. He was actually having fun.

“Yes,” Derek whispered. “I’m getting good, I think.” Kira beamed at him and put her hand on top of his.

“Derek, it’s great! You should come over tonight to my place and cook me something. I’ll tell you if you suck or not.” Derek said nothing but nodded solemnly. “Good, it’s settled then! Kira and Derek night in!” Kira sing-songed, bouncing in her chair.

* * *

Derek cooked for Kira in her very tiny kitchen with her bouncing around and chattering. It should’ve felt crowded, two people in that small space but it felt homey instead and Derek relished it. Kira talked his ear off but he didn’t mind, just like he didn’t mind when she stole bites of what he was cooking. Kira had a free pass that even Laura didn’t. There was no pressure to be perfect, in fact he did mess the eggplant up a little. But Kira chewed on her food happily, talked with her mouth full and this was what Derek liked about food. It had the potential of making people happy, of bringing them together.

Derek flew back to New York a few days later, knowing that he’d have to come back for Christmas. He stood in front of his front door, the keys in his hand. He didn’t want to go inside and face the empty flat. He dreaded seeing the dull color of his walls and the empty picture frames that Cora bought him years ago. He wasn’t ready to face his own misery, not after spending such an amazing time with Kira, and with his sister. He finally pushed the door open and stepped inside. Everything was exactly the same, no surprise that he still didn’t like it and that it still didn’t feel like home.

Derek didn’t turn the lights on and went straight to bed where he lay for hours. He thought about how working for the firm was him playing it safe, not taking any risks. He wasn’t someone to make rash and irrational decisions. He was living a dull life but at least he knew he wouldn’t fail.

_You’re too young to settle_

_You’re too young to settle_

Derek fell asleep with those words on repeat in his head; his heart heavy and his stomach in knots. He had a dreamless night, the kind that leaves you even more tired than when you went to sleep, the ones where you don’t feel like you’ve slept for one second. But when he woke up in the morning he knew he had to do something. He was not allowing himself to be happy, by choosing the easy way out every single day, by pretending that he couldn’t do better.  He had to change and turn his life around now, or he’d end up regretting the life he could’ve had but didn’t because of his cowardice.

Derek didn’t go to work and instead he took the day off. He had a lot of things to sort out, one of them being finding what he wanted to do next.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the delay. I have few chapters already all written down and I just need to go throught them and edit, so much editing to do...  
> Also I don't have a beta, so I'm really sorry in advance for any and all mistakes.

**_I have another love in life – I mean other than curly fries and Han Solo, and it’s farmer market. What I like about it is the smell and the joy you can get by simply being there. Those people take the time to grow a potato and then present you said potato to buy. What an absolute lovely concept. You’ll also always notice that food from the farmer market is often better than supermarket one, even if sometimes the fruits or vegetables aren’t as nicely shape as the supermarket ones._ **

**_-Excerpt from The Foodman, November 2015_ **

* * *

«What are you going to do now ? » Kira asked, munching on her cupcakes. She was curled up in one of the chair of her small living room while Derek was sipping on his beer. His bags were still in the hallway and he had no energy to move them anywhere else. Kira had picked him up at the airport after a frantic call from Derek. He had quickly explained that he had quit his job, was leaving NYC and was coming back to Beacon Hills. 

“I don’t know.” 

“This isn’t exactly helping, Derek Dear. Do you want to travel around the world? Do you want to help a charity? Are you becoming a street artist and performing in front of our only theatre in town?” Derek let his head fell down on the cushions behind him, looking skyward. His parents had no idea that he was in town, neither did his sisters. For some reasons he couldn’t tell them over the phone and he couldn’t face them tonight. Kira had picked him up from the airport and drove him straight to her place. He should’ve expect the flow of questions. He wished he had answers, not for her but for himself. 

“Derek?” Derek slowly turned his head to Kira who smiled shyly. “I know it doesn’t mean a lot, but I’m proud of you.” Derek stayed silent and Kira didn’t say anything else. She stood up from her chair and went to cuddle with Derek on the couch. 

“I think,” Derek started, it was easier to talk when he couldn’t see Kira’s face. “I want to do something related with cooking.” 

“Want to cook with my mom?” Kira offered already giggling at her own joke. 

“Are you trying to get me killed?” 

“Just severely injured.” And once again Kira giggled to herself. She pinched Derek’s side and he ruffled her hair. “All joking aside, I think it’s a good idea.” 

“Yeah?” Derek asked, unsure. After starting the first cooking lesson it was something he had started to fantasize about. It was mostly a fantasy, a dream but he could see himself being an at home chef, going from house to house, cooking for special occasion. Or he daydreamt about working in a restaurant but the most recurrent daydream was getting his own small place.  Usually the dreams were blurry and his newfound freedom made everything possible. He wanted to do something that would make him happy, as simple as that. 

“Alright, let’s get you to bed. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.” Kira stood up, patted Derek’s knee and disappeared into her room. 

Derek lied back on the couch, an arm under his head the other on his stomach. He could feel it moving up and down with his stomach, following his breathing.  He couldn’t exactly lie to his family but he also didn’t want to be in the around them. The house was always buzzing with people coming and going, chatting. Derek needed some peace and space, just for a few days.

* * *

 

The next morning, Derek woke up hours after Kira left. He found  a sticky note on the fridge, telling him to help himself with whatever was in the fridge and that he was more than welcome to clean a bit around and do some grocery shopping.  She even drew a winky face.

Derek took the note and stared at it. Laura used to leave him sticky notes when they were living together. Sometimes they communicated like that for a few days because their schedules were crazy. He left her notes on the Tupperwares she could reheat and Laura left notes about silly things like the weather. 

Derek opened the fridge. He wasn’t really surprised to see that there was next to nothing in it. While Kira loved eating she wasn’t exactly one to keep food in her fridge. He opened the cupboard where she usually stocked canned food, cereals boxes and poured himself some cinnamon cereal in a bowl. 

He made his way to the couch, put his feet up on the coffee table and turned the TV on. It was probably the first time in years that Derek allowed himself to be lazy. He had no pressure on going somewhere, no schedule to follow and more importantly no stress. 

Around eleven, Derek changed clothes, brushed quickly his teeth and then drove to the nearest farmer market. Derek loved farmer markets. You could walk around with no intention on buying anything and still try so many samples about pretty much anything and everything. He tried some goat cheese with blueberry jam on top, everything homemade. He tasted some honey and then wine. He even got a taste of some fruits. But there wasn’t just the tasting that Derek liked at farmer markets, it was the smell and the people. All the smells mixed together, fruits and spices, salt and flowers; it made this place full of life and possibilities.  

He started to buy some meat, then stopped by the vegetable stand, he finished with cheese and jam and after an hour of wandering around Derek went back to the car with his arms full of fresh products he couldn’t wait to cook. 

He drove back to Kira’s place, unloaded the car and got to work. He sharpened the knives, put on a bright pink with kawai daggers drawing and turned on the hoven.  For hours Derek cooked, tasted and tried on new recipes. Kira’s kitchen was still fairly small and not as well furnished than the one at his parent’s, but he didn’t care. He worked without recipes, following his inspiration and instinct. Some of his tries were small success some of them ended up in the trash. He didn’t mind, the point was to cook and to enjoy himself.  

It was only hours later when Kira got home that Derek stopped and looked up from the plates. 

“Well, welcome home to me. Whatcha doin’?” Kira sing-songed and hopped on a barstool. She tried to steal some of the food in front of her, earning a mean slap on her hand. 

“It’s not finished yet.” Derek warned then winced when he saw Kira rubbing her fingers. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been cooking  this boeuf bourguignon for hours now and it’s not quite how I thought it’d be.” 

“You cooked all day?” Kira wondered. 

“Almost. You had nothing in your fridge.” Was Derek only explanation. 

They ate in silence, mostly because Derek was waiting for Kira judgement. She had trained herself on tasting and giving feedback after one epic afternoon when Derek had told her that “it’s good” wasn’t a good enough review of his food and that he needed feedback. They hadn’t talk for a few days after that. 

“Well,” Kira started after a while. “There is something missing. I mean I’m pretty sure the meat is cooked just like it should, you can taste the wine just perfectly and the carrots are excellent but… Yeah there is something missing and I don’t know what it is.” 

“Okay.” Derek took his plates and Kira’s and throw the food in the trash. 

“No wait!” Kira barely had time to yell before the food vanished in the bin. “I was eating that!” 

“Not anymore.”  Derek put the dishes in the sink and came back with a plate of cheese and jam. “I want you to try something. “

“Are you going to let me finish it this time? You can’t just throw food like that, Derek. People are starving out there!” Kira shouted, crossing her arms defensively. Derek eyed her warily. He didn’t want to fight with her, he didn’t have enough energy to do so. He had spent hours in the kitchen, cooking like he had probably never before only to hear her say that there was something missing. 

Disappointed wasn’t strong enough to described how he felt right now. 

“I’ll let you finish.” 

“Alright, now what’s that?” 

“Toast.” Derek answered, cutting a small portion of goat cheese. Derek grabbed a slice of bread and put some jam on it, he placed the cheese on top and added some pepper. “Here, try that out.” 

“You put cheese on my toast, Derek.” 

“Goat cheese.” 

“Even worst.” Kira joked and took the toast from the cook’s hand. “If I die because of you, sacrifice a goat during my funeral would you.” Kira took a bite of the toast and munched on it for a few seconds before jumping on her stool. ‘Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Derek you’ve got to try it!” 

“I did already.” 

“Yes but try it again.” Kira said, showing the rest of her toast in Derek’s mouth. “I mean the casserole was good but this is everything. It’s like very simple and still completely delicious.” 

“I’m glad you like it.” Derek tried to hide how proud he was feeling. It wasn’t anything fancy, it was only toast but this was something that he loved even more than cooking for hours. He loved taking good products and with just a little twist or addition make something amazing with it. 

“You know you should try more of this stuff. Like cheese and jam, effing perfect. But there got to be more like just one combination that works.”

* * *

 

Derek decided that farmer market was his new scene and the next day he drove to the one in the next city. They were getting closer to Christmas and soon Derek would have to face his family. He also needed to start Christmas shopping but today was about food. 

He drove for hours without music. He rolled down the window drove, tried to enjoy himself and relax. This wasn’t quite happiness but he was doing something that made him better than he did before. So that was something. 

When he finally arrived, he parked the car beside a truck that looked old and was falling apart. Derek made his way near to the honey stand. He was on a mission today. 

“Hey there. How can I help you?” The old man asked, the second Derek stopped in front of him. 

“I’m looking for honey.” 

“You’ve got the right place. What’cha looking for?” The man stood up from his camping chair, rubbing his fat belly. “We’ve got plenty of everything, just need to tell me what you need.” 

“I’m not exactly sure.” 

“Well, whatever it is that you’re looking for, Old Steve right there is the man you need.” Someone said beside Derek.  Derek turned around to see a lanky man, wild hair and plaid shirt smiling at him. Derek felt like he saw him before but couldn’t pinpoint from where. 

“Hey there, Steve. You got my fix?” 

Derek looked between the two men who obviously knew each other. 

“I’m Stiles, by the way.” The man offered Derek his hand to shake and waited until Derek did so. “Seriously this man is the best when it comes to honey. I’m driving miles just to get some.” 

“I…” 

“And when I say get some I’m talking about the honey, not anything else… obviously.” Derek blinked at the precision, not exactly sure if the man was joking or not. 

“Obviously.” Derek added after a while, not knowing what else to say.  _ I just wanted to buy some honey _ , Derek thought to himself. 

“Not that I never offered him, but the guy’s been turning me down for years.” Old Steve added with a chuckled.  Derek pretty sure he looked horrified.  Stiles turned red and couch loudly. 

“Er, thanks Steve for the, hum, help. But unnecessary. I think you just scared him away forever.” Stiles mumbled, scratching his hair. 

Derek stood there, still not getting what was going on. It was probably a game between the two men. A game he obviously didn’t understand the rules or the purpose. Derek felt utterly lost and probably scarred indeed forever.

“I’m sorry.” Stiles shrugged, then tilted his head to the counter. “Look, tell me what you were looking for, my treat. And then you can forget all of this ever happened.” 

“I want some honey.” Derek repeated again. Because how hard could it be to get him just one jar of anything. 

“Ah yes but you see, that’s where it’s getting complicated. You can’t just ask for honey, there are possibly thousands of different kind of it. Did you want to cook it, did you want to put it on a toast or maybe use it for a hair product?” 

“Hair product?” Derek wondered, because at this point he wanted nothing more than to run away. This was way more than he had bargained for this morning when he woke up and decided to drove all the way here. 

“Hum, I see. That’s why you have such good hair. Fancy. So-“

“No. I don’t want to put it on my hair. It’s for toast.” Derek cut the man. Meanwhile Old Steve was back on his camping chair, sipping at his soda while watching the exchange.  In that moment Derek vowed to curse Old Steve for many many generations for not helping him. 

“I see. Toast, huh. What kind? Are you going with nuts or fruits? Cheese? Or maybe some duck! Duck is amazing with honey and if you roast it and cut the thinnest slice ever it just delicious.” Stiles finished, licking his lip probably at the perspective of eating such thing. 

“Right, give me your favorite.” Stiles’s grin instantly grew wider and Derek hoped that he was going to be able to finally leave after that. 

“Here’s, take this one.” Stiles took a jar and shoved it into Derek’s hands who put cash on the counter and started walking away. 

“Try it with duck, alright?” Derek heard Stiles’s voice over the chatter of the crowd around him. Derek rolled his eyes and sharply nodded, muttering to himself.  

“Fine, I’ll try the duck recipe” Derek was done. He wanted to go back to Kira’s and hide far away from this man who was obviously joking around and Derek was just the fool that everyone made fun of. 

Derek threw the plastic bag with the jar in it in the backseat of his car and took a big breath. Alone finally. He was about to turn the key in the ignition when he heard a loud knock on his window. 

“Hey, have fun and let me know how it went!” Derek heard the muffled voice of Stiles from behind the window.  

Derek couldn’t wait to go back and nap.

* * *

 

For the next couple of days Derek tried out every single recipes he could think of that would taste good on toast. He wasn’t sure about what he was doing just yet, but apparently it was a thing. Started almost as an accident with Kira, then with Crazy Stiles, Derek found out that it was something quick and easy to make. It was a way to sublimate every single product he was buying. 

Beside Kira was more than happy to try out the numerous recipes Derek cooked.  And after two weeks of hiding from his family, going to farmer markets, and cooking in his pajama, Derek realized that maybe he was ready.

* * *

 

He knew he was in trouble when his mother greet him at the door of her house with a small smile on her lips. 

“Derek, come in.” Derek worked his way into the living room, trying to make himself as small as possible. Talia walked in right behind him, sitting on the edge of her chair.  “The neighbor saw you the other day going inside of Kira’s home with your arms full of food. Now you know that I won’t judge you and that you can live your life however you want but is there anything you want to tell me?” 

Derek gulped and put his clenched fists cautiously on his knees. 

“I quitted my job. I moved back to Beacon Hill.” Derek didn’t dare looking at his mother. He was too scared of what he would read on her face. 

“I see.” Talia stood up and disappeared into the kitchen. Derek stayed alone in the living room, not sure if this was an invitation to follow her or if he was to stay put until given any more instruction. He waited until he heard her footsteps getting closer. Derek looked up and saw his mother carrying two flutes in one of her hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. 

“This call for celebration, darling.” The woman poured the drink into their glasses and handed one to Derek. Derek who was still not sure if his mother was humoring him or if she was truly celebrating him quitting his job and coming back in his hometown. 

“I also texted your father to let him now, he is picking up your favorite food on his way home.” 

“Alright.” Derek sipped at his drink, watching carefully his mother who was grinning into her drink. 

“I’ve been -  actually, we’ve all been waiting for this for a while now.” Talia giggled. Derek wasn’t used  seeing his mother like that. 

Cora chose that moment to push the door of the house. She obviously wasn’t expecting anyone to be home because the moment she saw Derek and her mother she took a step back. 

“Ah, Cora. My beautiful daughter. Good idea you’ve had to skip school, come here.” Cora just as skeptical as Derek made her way to her mother and sat beside her. “Now, take this and I’ll go get another one. Your brother is moving back here but more importantly he quitted his job.” 

“You quitted?” Cora asked, surprise written all over her face. 

Derek nodded and sat still. Cora scrutinized him and Derek could feel her eyes on him, he didn’t exactly like the attention. 

“Did you get fired and you’re just trying to take the high road?” Derek gapped, he almost felt insulted. But coming from Cora it was expected, she wasn’t exactly one to cut him some slack. 

“I quitted.” Derek said again, apparently that was something he would have to repeat often that day. 

“What are you going to do now?” 

“Apparently he is moving in with his girlfriend, Kira.” Talia announced, another glass in her hand. 

“Girlfriend?” Both Cora and Derek asked with some sort of general confusion. Talia sat back on the couch, looking in between them. 

“Well yes. Derek that’s where you’ve been staying all week, right?” 

Derek must have look so terribly confused that Talia stopped mid gesture.

“Oh dear lord. I jumped to conclusion, didn’t I?” Talia brought her hand in front of her mouth, wincing at the same time. Derek thought that she looked so much like Laura in that moment, or maybe it was more like the other way around. He didn’t know his mother could act like that, so care free. 

“I’ll just go to my room.” Cora said, putting the half empty glass down. “I’ve had enough Hale drama for one day.” 

“Cora?” 

“Yes, mom?” Cora asked from the door. 

“Of course you’re grounded, darling. And I’ll be the one picking you up from school starting tomorrow.” 

Cora groaned all the way to her room, making sure to bang her door loudly.  Talia turned back to her son, biting her lip. 

“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusion. But you weren’t calling and it’s been two weeks, Derek.” 

“I’m sorry.” Derek felt suddenly utterly guilty for not letting his mother know he was back in town. It was the least he could’ve had done. Logically he also knew that if he had asked her for some space she would have said yes. 

“What happened then?” 

“I couldn’t do it anymore.” Derek hided his hands in the sleeves of his shirt before continuing. “I have savings, don’t worry, and I’ll start looking for a job soon. I wanted time to figure out what I wanted to do.” 

“What is it that you want to do?” Derek was happy to see his mother back, he wasn’t so used of the bubbly and maybe tipsy woman he witnessed before.  He was also happy that he did  took his time to think about what was next for him. 

“Cooking.” Was Derek’s answer.

* * *

 

The rest of the month passed in a blur between the Christmas shopping and celebration, the New Year eve and Derek planning his new business. Derek spent his time between Kira’s place and his parent’s, feeding Kira and bickering with Cora.  He could see that people were starting to wonder what he was doing here and if he would ever recover from leaving his job. 

But the more Derek cooked, the more focused he was becoming. Next for him was opening a food truck. All the cooking and testing on Kira wasn’t for nothing.  He spent the month writing down every version of every recipe he was trying on Kira. Making samples of different version of one same recipe, changing only one ingredient or spice. He also put his whole family to help. 

He would come over, cook all afternoon and put the sample in small plate with number. Then he asked his family to rank the recipes. He wrote down every suggestion, any small ideas that might help him. 

He also tried not to kill Cora. She had the most insight comments to make but she always made sure to deliver them in the most annoying way. 

In the end Derek narrowed the recipes to four. He wanted to start small, only cook fresh products and make it the best quality possible. He couldn’t offer too many different toast or quality would suffer from it. 

He knew that next would be choosing his providers and finding the perfect truck.  That’s when he knew he needed to call an old friend.  Derek dialed Erica’s number, praying that it hadn’t change. 

“Derek Freaking Hale! I hope you’re not calling because you killed someone and you need out, also I’m currently fighting for food so be quick.” 

“Hi, Erica. No and okay.” 

“Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine but I need your help.” And this was exactly how Derek ended up in the middle of nowhere following the woman around a cemetery of old cars and abandoned trucks. She had given him a hard time, probably due to the several months that went by without Derek giving any news. It was also the way Erica showed she cared: tough love. 

“Alright, so we’ve got this one.” Erica pointed to a white and rusty truck, with no tires and all of the windows shattered. Erica used her hand to block the sun from her eyes, looking between the truck and Derek. “No, it won’t do. Let’s keep going.” 

Erica was in high heels boots which apparently didn’t bothered her the least to go around this vast garbage land . Derek was following behind, trying to look around and see if there wasn’t something worth saving. It took them the whole afternoon. Once Derek picked the right truck, Erica and him rummaged on other vehicles to find parts they would need to renovate it . Derek knew little about cars but Erica was working in a garage, that’s why he picked her. 

By the end of the day they were both covered in grease and sweat, probably sunburned as well. The truck was nowhere near to be finished but at least they got the basics covered. 

“We’ll need to pick it up and bring it to the garage. I can’t work here. Beside you need pieces that we wouldn’t find here. I’ll come back tomorrow and you come by whenever. I’ll tell you how much you owe me for both the truck and my boots. They aren’t cheap Derek.” 

“Sounds fine. Want to grab something to eat?” Derek offered. 

“Na. I need to go home to Boyd. But raincheck? I missed you. We need to catch up and I don’t believe the gossip going around town. So tomorrow, the garage and then a drink, alright?” 

“Deal.” 

They went their separate ways, Derek going to his parent’s house. He needed to tell his mom the news. He also needed a good shower and no matter how much Kira argued about it, her shower was the worst. 

Derek arrived long after everyone had finishing eating. He didn’t feel like cooking and instead he hit the bathroom right away. As he padded into his room Derek saw Cora sneaking out, once again. He had no idea where she was going to and for a second he wondered if he should talk to her about it, made sure she wasn’t in any kind of danger. But he knew she wouldn’t tell him anything. 

Derek lied down on his bed and opened his computer. He had details to sort out about the truck. He needed a logo, some business cards and a menu. He needed to shop for small furniture if he was going to do it. He browsed all the websites he knew about, keeping tabs open and a notebook next to him. He made lists upon lists of what he thought he needed and what he wanted, saving pictures of things he liked. He stayed up way past midnight and into the night. 

That was the moment he preferred. The after midnight. When everything was calm and silent. That were the moment he worked best.  It was way past dawn when Derek finally shortlisted few items he needed and a list of shops he had to check.  He had heard Cora coming back around three in the morning and heard his father getting ready around six. 

He had a long day ahead of him but right now he needed sleep.

* * *

 

It was Wednesday afternoon when Derek walked into the garage to work on his truck. Erica was making him pay for the spot but at least he had somewhere to park it before going into business. 

As he worked the fridge inside of the truck, Derek thought that he would probably need to make a party, as in a launching business party. Did people do this? 

“Knock knock?”  Derek turned around to see the Sheriff  standing in front of the back door. “May I come in?” 

“Yes, of course.” Derek answered, wiping quickly his hands on the dirty towels. “This isn’t quite finished yet.” 

“I’ve heard that one of the child of Beacon Hill was opening a food truck, I wanted to check it by myself.” The Sheriff opened a cupboard and check how solid it was, nodding approvingly. “You did a good job, Hale.” 

“Thank you.” Derek answered, standing as far away as possible from the man. They had a past, as in the Sheriff had arrested Derek once or twice when he was a teenager. Derek never thought he’d ever heard the Sheriff tell him something that nice . 

“You’re gonna need a license for this. Where are you planning to park it?” the sheriff wondered, as he went through the fridge, probably looking for something. 

“I was thinking near the campus. It’s a  food truck after all and I remember that after school or in between exams you’re looking for the cheapest, quickest and easiest way to get food. “

“And with you near the buildings they’ll instantly think of you. That’s clever.” The Sheriff finished, stopping his rummaging. “Would you happen to make donuts?” 

“I don’t think so, sir. No.” Derek scrapped the back of his head. He liked  the sheriff much more now that he wasn’t arresting him for something he didn’t do. 

“Hm. Well, come by the station so we’ll work your permit out.” 

“Sure. And I’ll think about the donuts.” Derek added. Not that he wanted the Sheriff to appreciate him but Derek thought that it couldn’t hurt to come back into his good graces. 

Derek worked almost day and night for the next few days, wanting nothing more than to finish this and get to work already. He couldn’t wait to start cooking for a living and finally do something he’d enjoy. 

Besides, he couldn’t take Cora’s snarky comments anymore. It was all about him not being able to work all day on  his feet and make a small living out of it. 

Rationally he knew that it was a bit of a stretch between what he did before and what he wanted now. But wasn’t this the point of quitting and moving back to California? He wasn’t settling for something he didn’t like, he was going out here and he was taking risks. Maybe even for the best.  He knew that his family was supportive even if they were worried about him. He also knew that in town people were taking bets about how long he would go on like that before breaking down and going back to a nice little office. Most people were waiting for a disaster to happen and Derek, well Derek he wanted to prove them and prove to himself that he could do it. 

  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is, another chapter!   
> Like the previous chapter, I'm doing this without a beta...

**_You know me, whenever there is a new place in town to eat I’m almost always first in line. That’s my way of being adventurous and wild. That way I can void all kind of weird and sweaty things like hiking. Seriously what’s the point of hiking except for being chased by a bear? Anyway, this week was the grand opening of a new food truck._ **

**_The thing is I wanted to give this food truck a good review. The concept is nice, the cook is good looking and the food is correct. Except that I can't because everything is just a little off._ **

**_Now, I’m not saying that the food is blend or anything but there is no spark. I kept waiting for the bite that would surprise me or excite me. It never came._ **

**_I really wanted to tell you that this is the new food truck that everyone has been waiting for and well, it could be… in a few months._ **

**_Until then you can always go check it out and tell me what you think of it!_ **

  * Article from The Foodman



* * *

"It says what?" Derek asked harshly, taking the tablet from Cora's hands.

"That your food truck sucks, basically." Cora shrugged, mildly concerned by her brother's anger.

"Not too shabby? Who is this guy and who does he think he is to write things like this?"

"It's his job, Derek. That guy is a food blogger. People follow him, they listen to him. And you, you're just another food truck in town that's been reviewed, period."

"Thank you for this insightful comment." Derek barked. He couldn't believe that someone, somewhere was hiding behind his computer and writing idiotic comments like this one. He wanted to find that Foodman and give him a piece of his mind.  

Derek climbed the stairs two by two, the tablet still crushed in his hand. Derek vaguely waved at Cora who asked for her tablet back and the man settled on the chair in front of his desk. He took the computer out and turned it on.  Derek was furious. All the hard work he had done this past few months, and the struggles he went through could be crushed by one stupid anonymous person who thought they were a Michelin critique.

Derek searched the blog all night. He read all the other articles reviewing restaurants. He tried to get more information about who the man was. If Derek hadn't been so pissed about his own review maybe he would've took the time to enjoy some funny and witty comments the blogger was making. But right now, Derek was only gathering information about the blogger so he could strike back.

Around three in the morning the only sound that could be heard in the house was the sound of Derek fingers against his keyboard, tipping furiously and as fast as he could. He needed to get this out and to send the blogger an answer to his article. He didn't put it in the comment below the article but send it all by mail to the address he'd found on the website.

* * *

" _Coming over to the food truck today, I'm bringing some friends" w_ as the text Derek woke up to. He had fallen asleep shortly after sending his full on anger email. He had forgotten to set up his alarm clock and was now late for work. He brushed quickly his teeth, barely said hello to Cora and kissed his mother's cheek before heading out as quickly as he could.

The truck was parked near the biology building. It was a good spot, all the sciences buildings around which meant people working at oddly hours, forgetting to eat and having cravings when everything else was closed. 

He started the fryers, turned on the burners and started chopping the vegetables he needed for today's recipes. Luckily for him he had already set up an arrangement with his suppliers, they knew what to get him and where to deliver it. Derek made a mental note to stop by their shops sometimes during the day to thank them for the morning delivery.

Derek heard rasp on the door and rolled his eyes. Students didn't know how to wait.

"We're not open yet!" Derek yelled from his counter, not stopping to chop. The knock became insistent, Derek grunted, wiped his hands on his apron and opened the back door of the truck.

"I said we're not open yet." Derek repeated to a shocked young customer. Derek stopped mid growl. "You." Derek muttered between his teeth, his grip tightening around the doorknob.

"Oh my god." The customer barely managed to say before a fit of laughter took over all of his body. Derek stood there, three stairs above the guy, glaring at him while the other man was obviously having the time of his life. "Oh man, please don’t flex or your shirt is gonna burst and is that tomatoes in your hair!?"

Derek tried to get the tomato out of his hair, which sent the other man in another giggling fit.

"It's good, you got it." The man said, his body still shaking with laughter. "I'm Stiles, we met at the farmer market? I scared you to death?" Stiles half said half asked. Derek remembered him quite vividly. This man was like plague, he talked too much and was a disaster waiting to happen.

"I remember you." Stiles beamed at that, taking Derek's hand and shaking it.

"Cool, I'm supposed to meet with my best friend and his girlfriend here. Apparently a friend of hers owns this food truck." Derek looked at his hand still trapped in Stiles’s.  

"I own this food truck." Derek had a sudden flash of Kira's text this morning. Could it be possible that this man was one of Kira's friend. Derek winced because he could see his Kira, bubbly Kira and happy Kira be friend with someone like Stiles. Derek's day became instantly way more challenging than it was supposed to be.

"Well then, this is perfect. I already met you! Now what's for lunch?" Stiles asked, making his way inside of the truck and inspecting what was on the counter. "Oh nice, you're going to fry the zucchini?"

"Yes." Derek crossed his arms over his chest. Nobody was allowed in here for now. The truck had only be running for a few weeks and no one had earned the right just yet to be there in it while Derek was cooking.

"Hmm" Stiles hummed, looking around and opening the different drawers.

"Could you not!" Derek snapped.

“I’m just looking around, nothing more.” Stiles rose his two hands up as a peace sign. “I was only wondering what kind of oil you use for the fryers, that’s it.”

“Depends on what I’m cooking. Now step back from the knives.” Derek warned, his hands clenched in a fist.

An awkward silence settled in. Stiles looked around, his eyes never quite meeting Derek’s while Derek stared at him. If his last encounter with the man was any indication of who he was, then Derek was a hundred percent certain that something epically bad was going to happen within the next few minutes, hours if he was lucky.

“Look, I actually wanted to -“

“Guys!” Kira walked into the truck, grinning at the both of them. “You’ve met already! Perfect.”

Kira kissed Derek’s cheek and then hugged Stiles who was standing awkwardly at the other end of the truck. “Derek meet my boyfriend, Scott. Scott, this is Derek.”

Kira clapped her hands together, looking between the two men and smiling happily.

“I’ve told them so much about the truck, I hope you don’t mind. I wanted them to try the food out.”

“It’s okay. If you could give me a minute, I’ll finish cleaning and I’ll cook something for you.” Derek answered, not looking at Stiles who was still standing on his right.

Kira took her boyfriend’s hand and lead them out. Derek looked at Stiles who hesitated a second before making his way out, looking one more time at Derek and giving him thumbs up before leaving.  Derek shook his head, this man was weird.

He finished to prep the truck and opened the front window, only to be greeted by three wide smiles and rumbling stomachs. Kira was first, Scott and Stiles waiting behind her.

“What can I get you?” Derek asked, trying to sound cool and aloof. He had no real reason to be nervous, he was only going to cook for his friend and the friends of his friend. The review was still fresh in his mind and Derek’s confidence faltered.  

“Surprise us.” Stiles answered, all eyes turning to him. The two men stared at each for a few tensed second before Derek gave them a sharp nod and started cooking. If he didn’t know any better Derek could almost believe that Stiles had just challenged him. Derek knew better though, Stiles was just a brat who was unbelievably rude.

Derek quickly cooked them lunch and then let them settle around the truck. He kept glancing at them while serving other customers . Kira was smiling and talking a lot, as per usual and Scott was looking at her like she was the sun. It was Stiles that Derek observed. This man was unusually silent.

He knew Stiles could feel his glare, it didn’t stop Derek from making sure that everything was under control.

The lunch shift went on slowly. Besides the three friends, Derek only had a dozen of other customers. He didn’t expect the word to mouth to work that quickly but he at least hoped that by now people would know that there was some new place on campus to eat.

Kira kept smiling at him and Derek caught Stiles eyeing him. Derek didn’t like pity. His truck was serving good food. It was just a slow day. Derek found a million of little things to do to keep him busy and not once again did he look over at Kira and the two men.

It went on like this for a week. There were two or three people that kept coming everyday and Derek could swear that it was because he was still open around 10pm and they had forgotten to eat. He decided to close only after he was out of stock. Which some day meant staying open until late in the evening. He didn’t like throwing food away.

Unfortunately after a second week like this Derek started ordering less food to his providers and when the night came and he still had food, Derek stopped by the homeless shelter and gave them the rest of his stock.

* * *

 

Monday morning Derek was writing down on his cardboard today’s special, his apron secured around his middle.

“Heya, Chef Derek.” Derek froze instantly and then rolled his eyes. Stiles only had said three words to him and he was already on his nerves.

“Stiles”

“Whatcha cooking today?”

“Duck and honey.” Derek shortly answered. He looked around, hoping that maybe Kira or Scott would soon arrived behind him, but no such luck.

“It’s just me today. I’ve been craving your food for days now. “

Derek turned around and gauged Stiles. He was still wearing a plaid shirt over a grey shirt and the same jean and shoes he appeared to wore all the time. Derek noticed that Stiles filled his shirt more than last time. His shoulders where a little broader. Maybe the guy was actively training.

“You want my food? Out of every other restaurant and food trucks in town?”

“What can I say, food is my weakness and yours is delicious. Now big guy, gimme some.”

“Food?”

“Why? Are you thinking about something else?” Stiles wiggled his eyebrows and smirked at Derek, taking a step into Derek’s personal space.

Derek looked down at Stiles who was now very close to him, his eyes fixed on Derek’s.

“Fine, I’ll make you lunch.”

Stiles took a step backward, his smirk turning into a big grin. Derek used this to escape into the truck and started cooking.  Stiles hooked his two arms on the counter and watched Derek cooked. Derek could feel his eyes on his back. He didn’t like it when people watched him cooking. He disliked it even more because it was Stiles and it felt like the man was always judging him or challenging him.

“Is this all you’ve got prepared for today?” Stiles asked, tilting his chin toward the two small trays.

“Yes.” Derek gritted his teeth together. This was another reason he didn’t like having Stiles around. People didn’t know that the truck was having a difficult start.

“Not a lot of customers?”

“Plenty enough.” Derek answered coldly. He wanted to get Stiles food out as fast as possible so the man could get going quickly and would stop asking question.

“How long has it been going on?” Stiles continued. The man was relentless. Derek didn’t need someone pointing out that his truck wasn’t a success. He knew it already.

“It’s because of an online review. Here’s your food.” Derek shoved Stiles food into his hands without so much looking at him. “Now, leave.”

Stiles left some money on the counter and left quickly. Derek eyed the money, Stiles had left much more than the meal was and didn’t asked for change.

Derek closed the truck soon after, stopping by the homeless shelter to give all the food he still had.

* * *

 

Derek didn’t feel like opening the truck after that. He dreaded waking up and going to work. It was worse than everything else. This truck was his dream and it was falling apart. He had no idea what to do about it, no idea who to ask help. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to.

Derek still got out of bed, got to the truck and start prepping, He tried to cheer up, put his heart in it. It wasn’t lifting his mood but at least he was busy.

Around noon some people came up, it was more than he had the previous week at least.  

Derek got a few more customers the day after. It was nice, being a little busy. There was nothing worse than being bored at work, especially when your work was your passion and you had nobody else to share it with.

The number of customers grew bigger the week after and the week after that Derek even had to close before he could serve all of his customers. He hadn’t planned to get more people and didn’t bought enough food.

People didn’t seem to mind; they only look sad not to be able to taste the food.  Derek took a few minutes to talk with some of them who wanted to know more about him and were just being curious and nice in general.

It felt good, there was no pressure into talking with these strangers. They only wanted to chat and they weren’t expecting more than a nice chat. Derek excused himself after a little while and started cleaning.

 

It went on like this for the rest of the week. Derek was a bit overwhelmed by it. There were now days when the queue was a good size and even started around the corner.

Derek also had the nice surprise to see his mother and sisters coming to the truck to eat one day. He didn’t get the chance to talk to them because of the line of customers. He didn’t have lot of time for himself this week. He was waking up as early as possible to go get his supplies and then worked until late to clean the truck and get it ready for the next day.  When he went home he had talk to so many people during the day and worked so many hours standing up that he didn’t exactly felt like talking to more people. He loved being around his family but he also needed some space.

 

* * *

 

 

One night he stopped by Kira’s place with some wine, Scott opened the door.

“Hey man.” Scott greeted, opening the door wider to let Derek in and shaking his hand. “Kira is under the shower, she’ll come out soon. Come in.”

“Thank. Am I interrupting something?” Derek asked.

“Absolutely not, we were just about to watch a movie. Kira will be happy to see you. I think she misses you even more now that you’re back.”

 

The two men settled in the tiny living room and Scott got Derek a glass. It was weird for Derek to let Scott serve him in a place where he knew his way around quite perfectly. He was glad to see that Kira had found someone she was comfortable with and he could see why she loved Scott. They fit perfectly together.

 

Kira got out of her shower, her damp hair glued to her face.

“Hey there, stranger!” Kira fell in a chair and nudged Derek with her foot. “How is it going?”

“Fine, busy.” Derek answered.

“Thanks for last time, man. It was only when we got home that I realized we didn’t pay. I felt terrible!” Scott said with the best puppy eyes Derek had ever seen.

“No problem, it was my pleasure.”

“See,” Kira elbowed Scott.” I told you it was okay. He’s been feeling guilty about since we last saw you.”

“There’s no need.” Derek said.

“I’ve talked to Cora, she told me that the truck was a success.”

“I wouldn’t call it a success, but I’m busy. When did you talk to Cora?” Derek wondered.

“Sometimes this week? She told me that you’re not home a lot so it was either the truck keeping you busy or someone.” Kira wiggled her eyebrows and gave him a dirty look. “And well given your current sex life my conclusion was the truck.”

 “It is the truck.” Derek drank down his glass and turned to Scott. “I hadn’t had the chance to ask but what are you doing in life?”

“I’m studying to become a vet and I’m working part time in a clinic. Mostly with wolves, foxes and coyotes.”

“Interesting choice.”

“There aren’t as much as it used to be in the California and people tend to hunt them because they think they’ll hurt them. When in reality they’re like puppies.”

“Scott has always liked wolves and then found out about foxes and coyotes being hunted when he started studying. We wanted to adopt one but it’s not something easy to do when one lives in the city.” Kira added. Scott and her shared a secret smile and Derek felt like an intruder.

“I better go.” Derek said, getting out of the chair. “Stop by sometimes this week, okay? Free lunch for Scott.” Derek said his goodbye and drove back to the house.

 

 

His mother and father were already asleep and Cora was alone in the living room. It had been a while since Derek had tried to have a real talk with her. He didn’t know where she disappeared at night and didn’t know when Kira and Cora had started to talk to each other since they had never really been friend in high school or college.

“What are you doing?” Derek asked, handing over a soda to Cora before sitting next to her. The woman shut down her computer quickly, shifting away from Derek.

“I was online.”

“What were you doing online?”

“Nothing.” Derek took a sip of his drink. Cora was eyeing him warily. He knew that since he never really made an effort to talk to her she wasn’t bound to be outgoing with him. Derek was well aware that Cora had been envious of his and Laura’s relationship when they were younger. He hoped he’d done something about it before.

“If you’re online dating or doing stuff, it’s okay. We can… talk about it.” Derek tried. It sounded awkward even to his ears.

“I know it’s okay and no I wasn’t. God Derek, don’t act like you care.” Cora took her soda and her computer and started leaving the room. “I’m not here to replace Laura  whenever she isn’t available.”

And with that Derek’s heard Cora take the stairs two by two and shut her door loudly. He couldn’t blame her.

Derek grumpily dragged himself to bed, got rid of his clothes and took out his computer.

He needed his own place. Living at his parent’s with his baby sister was not how he has imagined his life.

He browsed several websites, it was probably time to get his own place.

* * *

 

It only took a couple of days for Derek to find a nice apartment in town. It wasn’t big but it was more than enough. The only thing that mattered was the kitchen and it was big enough. Derek moved in with the help of his father, Scott and Kira. He half expected Stiles to show up. Not that there was any reason for him to show up, but at this point Derek felt like he could appeared anywhere at anytime.

 

“You should have a party.” Kira announced when everything was finally unloaded from the truck and inside of Derek’s flat. She was half sitting on the couch, one her leg dangling over the armrest.

“To celebrate what?” Derek handed her a beer and another to Scott.

“You moving in, silly. You could make the food, invite people, we’d bring the booze. And you’d get presents!”

“I don’t know about the present but I’m sure that we could bring the drinks.” Scott chirped in, earning a kiss from Kira.

“And who would I invite?”

“Me, Scott, Cora, Stiles. That’s four of us already.” Kira counted on her fingers. Her bottle of beer standing dangerously on her stomach.

“That’s hardly a party.” Partying was a good idea. It was just that it showed how very little friends Derek had. He liked cooking for his friend but a party seemed much bigger than he could handle.

“We’ll invite other people. Let’s make it to 15, okay?” Kira bounced off her seat and grabbed her phone and started texting.

“Stiles’s in.” Kira announced and Derek’s stomach made a 180. Well, it wasn’t Derek that had sent the invitation but he was sure Kira had made it clear it was Derek’s party.

“So is Cora and few friend of mine. We’re 9 already. I’ll keep you posted, Derek bear.”

“Don’t call me that. And Cora isn’t drinking anything. She is too young to be partying anyway.” Derek pointed.

“Isn’t Cora 22?” Scott asked.

“Yes she is. And Derek is being misogynist.” Kira sing sang, flicking Derek’s ear. “Let the girl makes her own decision. She isn’t a little thing to protect.”

“I’m not a misogynist.” Derek argued, trying to catch Kira to tickle her.

“That’s exactly what a misogynist would say.”

“Can we have guacamole for your party? There was some in my toast last time and it was delicious.” Scott asked. Derek gave up on catching Kira and nodded to Scott.

“Sure. Anything else you’d want?”

“I’m good, thanks man.”

They stayed a bit longer, arguing over where Derek would put what and that his apartment wasn’t exactly feng shui. Derek drove them back to Kira’s flat, the couple too intoxicated to drive.

 

It was only when he was finally in bed in his brand new flat that Derek looked over at his phone.

_I’m looking forward to see where you live, Hale. -Stiles_

 

What a terrible idea it was to invite Stiles over.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here’s a fact: whenever I leave a good party where I had a good time, some alcohol and some nice moves going on (we can’t exactly call that dancing in my case) I always am in the need of a burger.**

**Good burger is something you can find pretty much anywhere. Everyone make good burgers nowadays. But amazing, mind blowing burgers are a little bit harder to find. So, if you want to know what is the best after party burger keep reading, peeps.**

**-Excerpt from The Foodman**

* * *

 

Derek didn’t have a lot of time to sort everything out. He took a day off, cooking and cleaning as much as he could. It was the first time he was throwing a party on his own. He wanted this to go as smoothly as possible. He had put up a note for his neighbors to know that he was having a party and to excuse him for the inconvenience, hoping that nobody would call the police.

Derek was fidgeting. There was no way around it, he was nervous and anxious about having so many people over. Talking with people on one to one that he could do, but handling more than a dozen of people and playing host was something he wasn’t so comfortable with.  Derek took a shower to calm himself, letting the hot water massage his back. It didn’t help. Derek tried on several outfits, tried to think of conversation starters, rearranged small things around his flat several time. It didn’t work either.

Few hours later people started arriving, like Scott had promise they all came bearing handfuls of wine, beer, bottles of champagne. Derek turned on his speakers, put his iPod on shuffle and let everyone changed the music whenever they wanted.

After an hour everyone was already mildly intoxicated and was having fun. Kira was dancing around with Scott who was happily following her, Derek recognized few people from Kira’s classes, and Cora was somewhere talking with someone he didn’t know.  The place was crowded but for now Derek could manage.

That’s when his phone buzzed in his pocket, it was Stiles asking him to let him in. They probably didn’t hear him over the music. Derek made his way to the door, dodging spilled beer.  Derek let Stiles in. Stiles was wearing a black jean, white shirt and his hair were all over the place. He looked slightly flushed and Derek guessed that maybe he had taken the stairs.

The man had texted him a few time during the week between his first text and the party. Mainly to comment on something he had either seen on TV or in the street. He also sent him a picture of _“the best hot dog in town”._   Stiles patted him on the shoulder and walked past Derek to make his way inside the flat. Derek decided that maybe it would be wise to keep an eye on him. Stiles was trouble and Derek didn’t exactly know what kind just yet.

Derek closed the door and walked back to the kitchen, taking a beer from the fridge. He opened it by knocking it with his hand against the counter and gulped half of the thing down and before making his way to Kira.

“Derek!” the woman shouted over the music. “Dance with me!”

Derek didn’t need lots of convincing, Kira grabbed his hand and lead him to the living room. She gently got one of her friend to dance with the two of them and soon enough Derek had his arms full of Kira and her friend, Malia if Derek remembered correctly. Derek tried to enjoy himself, he tried to forget about the dozens of people crowding his living room, tried to forget about Stiles in the room doing God knows what. Kira was laughing in his ear and Malia holding his hands as they all moved together, singing at the top of their lungs, Derek’s mind a little clouded by the alcohol. He had a good buzz going on.

Derek danced until his feet hurt and his shirt was sticking to his back, he moved to the kitchen in the need of some space. Everything was a bit quieter here and colder. He could still see everyone in the living room but it was much less crowded. People were chatting in there.

“Man, are you the one who cooked this?” Some guy asked Derek.

“I did.”

“It’s absolutely fantastic. Love it, dude.” The man highed five Derek and went back to his conversation. Derek’s head was turning a little bit, he was tipsy at best, his vision was a bit blurry but this was fun, he was having fun.

That’s when Derek caught Stiles leaning toward Cora, his hand on her waist, speaking into her ear. Derek watched the whole exchange with avid curiosity. He saw Cora nodded, shifting closer to Stiles before turning her head to the man and saying something back into his ear. The whole time they stayed close to each other, Cora’s hand on Stiles’s shoulder. It lasted for minutes and Derek couldn’t take his eyes off them. He didn’t trust Stiles and he couldn’t believe that Cora was about to fall for him. He really hoped that he wasn’t the reason she was sneaking out at night every now and then. Derek didn’t know he was gripping the counter that hard until Malia pulled him out of his staring.

“I had too much to drink. Can you call a cab for me, please?” Derek grabbed his phone and helped her sit down. “He is a nice guy but he fall in love with just about everyone that shows a tiny bit of interest in him.”

“uh?” Derek asked, not quite understanding her slurring.

“Stiles, the skinny and somehow weirdly attractive guy with hands too big and distracting mouth.” Malia waved her hand in the general direction of the living room.

“I know who Stiles is.”

“He is bisexual you know. “Malia made a valiant effort to stand up so she could wait her taxi outside.

“Alright. Cora seems to like him.” Derek hold Malia up and helped her inside the taxi.

“You know Cora?”

“She is my little sister.”

“Well, talk about awkward.” Derek closed the door on a giggling Malia and watched the taxi drove away before quickly going back inside.

Stiles was now dancing with everyone else, jumping up and down with Kira. Scott was nowhere to be found and Derek half expected him to be sleeping somewhere. Stiles wasn’t particularly coordinated when it came to dancing but he was quite the enthusiast that much Derek could admit.  

Derek looked at his friend dancing and having fun. He got to the kitchen window and opened it, it was raining now and the fresh wind from the outside was feeling good compared to how hot his flat was. Derek had moved from beer to water, he didn’t want to be drunk if anything happened.

Derek looked out, he couldn’t quite hear the sound of the rain but he could see it and the outside looked calmer than the party going on inside of his flat.

“You doing okay?” Derek turned his head around, Stiles barely a step away from him.

“Yes.” Derek answered. Stiles eyed him and chewed on his bottom lips. Derek noticed how Stiles hair was messier than when he arrived, probably due to his dancing. He also looked a bit agitated.

“Okay, just wanted to make sure.” Stiles nodded and stepped back. “I think I’m gonna go. So hum, thanks. For tonight.” Stiles didn’t look at him while saying it and Derek felt like an asshole for being so cold with him. It’s not like Stiles had been rude to him tonight.

“Sure.” Derek wanted to ask him so many questions, starting with how did Stiles know Cora. Derek didn’t ask and instead watched Stiles walked away.

 “Good night, Derek.” Derek thought he heard but couldn’t be sure.

 

He closed the window and walked back to the living room, falling down on the couch next to Kira who was slowly falling asleep on Scott.

“You’re having a good night?” Derek turned to see Cora, dipping a tortilla into some guacamole.

“Yes.” Derek shortly answered. He hoped she hadn’t seen his interaction with Stiles. He knew he had been cold with the guy and if Cora had any interest in him, like Derek thought she had, she was going to give him hell.

“This is fun.” Derek added, trying to find something else to say.

“Cool.” Cora answered, standing up and gathering her things.

“You going home? Want me to call a cab for you?” Derek offered, hoping that one day interacting with Cora wouldn’t be that stiff anymore.

“That’s be nice, yeah.” Cora grabbed some more guacamole and shoved it into her mouth. “Would it be cool if I come over to the truck tomorrow with some friends?”

“Sure, come by whenever.” Cora eyed him for a few seconds and walked out.

“Thanks for tonight.”

Derek’s mouth twitched into a small smile. He had no idea how to make things okay with Cora, didn’t know what to tell her or how to talk to her but one thing was sure he wanted to do better by her.

* * *

 

Getting out of the bed the next morning was nearly impossible. Derek wasn’t that hangover but he was sore all over. He was that close to call it a day and go back to bed with two aspirins. But the truck was finally making some profits and Derek could vaguely remember that Cora was going to stop by today. Derek grabbed his sunglasses before going to work and prayed for everything to go smoothly because today was going to be difficult.

As per usual Derek opened his truck and started getting ready. Today was not an improvisation day, he was going to stick to his classics.

“Knock knock?” Derek heard from behind the back door.

“Not open yet!”

“You keep saying that and I always end up in your truck anyway.” Stiles answered, closing the door behind him and leaning against one of the counter. “Coffee?”

“No, thanks.” Derek had no idea what Stiles was doing here. He was pretty sure that after last night Stile would not come anywhere near him for a while.   

“Well, I got you one anyway. You seemed a bit out of it last night and I thought maybe you might need it.” Derek scoffed at that. He had no idea how to react to Stiles general persona and his random act of kindness of the day.

“You drank a lot yesterday.” Derek stated because apparently talking about the party was something they did.

“I probably did, but then I had an amazing burger afterward. I mean the bun was just out of this world. It was a little toasted and brioche like. And the meat, damnit. Best I ever had. Point is I drank a lot and then I ate a lot so I’m good.”

“Why are you here?” Derek had no idea why Stiles kept being around, why he came to his party, why he stopped by today, why he was always around.

“Just wanted to hang out.” Stiles shrugged. “ I mean you seem like an okay guy if you look over the rudeness, the glaring and scoffing, the vaguely murdering vibes and the fact that you are currently holding a really big knife plus we have lots of friends in common. So why not?”

“Like Cora.” Derek said. If Cora wasn’t going to talk to him, maybe Stiles would. He had a big mouth and maybe this was going to play in his favor.

“For example. I was also thinking about Kira and Scott.” Stiles shrugged. No such luck, Derek thought. He didn’t understand what Stiles deal was, it was confusing and for some reason it made Derek uncomfortable.

 “Maybe you should leave.” Derek grunted, planting his knife in the wooden plate a little harder than necessary.

“I -,” Stiles started, “look, we started off badly and I apologized. And then you invited me to your party I thought we were cool, dude.”

“Don’t dude me.”

“Fine, whatever.” Stiles opened the door and hesitated for a second. Derek hated how the man always looked like he had an unfinished business with him. “Enjoy your day.”

Stiles left and instead of feeling better Derek felt miserable. He let out a big breath and hide his face in his two hands before running his fingers in his hair.

That was the problem with Stiles, he was annoying and confusing. Derek didn’t know what to make of his texts and of him getting him coffee. Stiles was a disturbance and Derek didn’t know how to deal with him. He didn’t know how to act around him. And there was the strained voice Stiles had whenever Derek asked him to leave. Derek had noticed and once again he still had no idea what to do with it. Stiles was a huge question mark and Derek didn’t particularly like that.

 

“Derek! I’m hungry.”

“Fuck.” Derek whispered, wiping his hand on his apron.

“Derek?”

“Hey, Cora.” Derek opened the front of the truck and greeted Cora and her friends. “Friends of Cora.”

“We just finished classes and since you promised free lunches for everyone if we stopped by.”

Derek clenched his jaw, he hadn’t promise anything and he knew Cora was full of shit with her grin bigger than the Texas. He wanted to get closer to his younger sister. If it meant free lunches for once he could deal with.

“Fine, just this one time. Let me all take your orders.”  It was barely 11 so Derek had time to write down every single order and to invite them to go sit on the chairs he had recently bought, saying he’d be right over. Derek worked fast. Their orders were simple enough and in less than five minutes they were all served. Derek didn’t stay with them, Cora didn’t exactly invited him to sit with them either.

He went back to the truck and started serving the few customers he had at that time of the day. From the corner of his eyes he could see Cora and her friends taking pictures of their food and of themselves. Cora looked she was having fun, she seemed careless for once. She wasn’t frowning like Derek had seen her do so many times.

Derek forgot they were here after a while when the rush started. It wasn’t until two hour later when everything quiet down that Derek had time to check his phone.

_Went back to class, food was correct. Thanks  - Cora_

_Call me whenever you’re not hangover anymore, xo – Laura_

_Sick party yesterday, come over tnight? – Kira_

Derek pocketed his phone, still unsure of what to do. After cleaning everything Derek headed home and texted Cora back, inviting her over. He had no idea what to do or how to approach Cora. She arrived shortly after, not even bothering knocking before coming in and falling on the couch next to Derek, her legs threw over his.

“What are we watching?”  Cora asked, taking a sip of Derek’s drink.

“Masterchef.”

“Ah hell no. Let’s watch Dancing with the Stars.” Cora moved to get the remote but not quick enough and Derek got it before her.

“My house-“

“Your rules. Yeah, I know. Your rules suck by the way. Do you even have something to eat?”

“We’ll order something later, pizza?” Derek offered, still changing the channel to watch what Cora wanted to.

“Pizza is good.”

They watched a rerun of the show in silence. It usually didn’t bother Derek, he liked silence and wasn’t much of a talker but for once he wished Cora was babbler like Laura. He had no idea what to tell her or what to ask her, mainly because –he realized – he didn’t know a single thing about his baby sister.

“How’s school?” Derek asked.

“Boring, I mainly have 8 o’clock classes and 7pm ones.” Cora made a run for the kitchen where she found popcorn and came back to the couch.

“You have a boyfriend?” Derek winced at his own question. He remembered how much he hated it whenever family member asked it. He just wanted to have something to talk about with Cora.

“That’s really heteronormative of you, Derek. So no, I don’t have a girlfriend.” Derek pursued his lips at the comment, not knowing if it meant that Cora was into girls and she wasn’t in a relationship at the moment, if she was bisexual and had a boyfriend but not a girlfriend or if she was just being a little shit.

“So Stiles?” Derek tried again.

“What about him?” Derek saw how Cora closed up when he mentioned the man, she was suddenly way less aloof than seconds before. Almost like she was trying to protect something.

“I saw you two yesterday. You looked close. Didn’t know you knew each other.” Derek shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of this. He wanted to know more about Cora, wanted to be here for her and get to know his sister. If he also was able to get information about Stiles he wasn’t about to pass up that opportunity.

“He is a friend and I like him.”

Derek didn’t need to know more, the blush on Cora’s cheeks was giving Derek enough information. Stiles and Cora were a thing, even if she wasn’t ready to talk about it, which he understood, he was going to support this. Coming back to Beacon Hills had been an opportunity for him to finally fixed what he did wrong. His relationship with Cora was one of them. Derek wanted to fix his relationship with his sister and if Stiles was important to Cora then he was going to be to Derek. Even if it meant going against his own judgment.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Fact: I love food._ **

**_Fact: I love junk food._ **

**_Fact again: I once thought I was walking inside a McDonalds, misread the sign and ended up in the smallest restaurant known to mankind._ **

**_To be honest it wasn’t exactly my fault since it was pretty unclear where the entry was and I was totally blinded by hunger. I felt like a true adventurer._ **

**_Their thing is freshly made salad. Nothing really new here. How many salad bars do you have in your town? Except that this one is monochrome. That’s their thing. You pick your favorite color and they’ll made you a salad this color._ **

**_Like red? They’ll give you a tomato, red pepper radish and sea salt salad._ **

**_Today is more like a green day? Don’t worry and try out the kale, avocado, green beans and green pepper salad._ **

**_I kid you not, it’s like a rainbow festival in that salad bar and I personally think it’s pretty cool. The food is fresh, you can take it away if you’re in a hurry and their mustard sauce is everything._ **

  * ****_The Foodman_****

* * *




 

Derek was finishing cleaning the stoves after a rather busy shift, smiling at himself. All the shifts of the week had been busy, people were queueing in front of the truck before the opening time and sometimes he had to apologize to some customers because everything was sold out. It was those kind of success that made quitting New York worth it. He’d rather have small wins like this than a condo in NYC.

Derek closed the truck and walked to his Camaro, that was the only think he kept after moving back to Beacon Hills. This weekend was going to be all about the cooking. Derek wanted to mix things up a bit and keep up with the seasonality of the products.  Which meant farmer market and lots of supplies, his Camaro was not the kind of car for that. Derek drove all the way to his parent’s, hoping to borrow the SUV.

When Derek walked in, Cora was sitting on the couch, laptop balancing on the edge of the armrest. His mom was reading and Laura was here as well.

“Hello.” All three women stopped what they were doing to greet him. Cora shut her computer and Laura waved happily at him.

“Please, tell me you’re not here to cook.” Cora groaned, slouching farther into the couch.

“Please, tell me you’re here to cook!” Laura mimicked Cora, poking her tongue at her little sister. Cora almost gave her the finger and stopped herself mid movement, remembering her mother sitting close.

“Actually, Mom, can I borrow the SUV? I need to go to the farmer market and pick up groceries.” Derek was still standing in the middle of the living room, jacket on. He made a mental note to stop by more often and not just to ask something to his mother.

“Sure. Will you want to use the kitchen?”  Talia asked while Cora groaned again at her mother invitation. Derek couldn’t tell if she was really annoyed by him or if it was a pavlovian reflex at this point.

“Thanks but no. I’ll be working on my menu and I’d take up all over the kitchen.”

“That wouldn’t be the first time.” Cora mumbled, earning a kick in her calve from Laura

“Let the kid cook.” Cora glared at her sister this time giving her the finger

“Cora!”

“But Mom!”

“Laura stop picking fights with your sister. Cora, behave.” Talia turned to Derek and opened her arms to him. Derek walked closer and Talia put her two hands on his cheeks, making him leaning in. Talia kissed his forehead and nodded  at him.

“Keys are on the counter in the kitchen, bring leftovers if there are any, will you?”

“Sure, mom.”  Derek leant into his mother touch. She had a way of grounding him, her perfume surrounding Derek making him feel safe.

“Perfect, you’ll give me a lift then.” Cora stood up, and gathered her things, shoving her computer and phone into her bag. “I’m ready.”

“Where are you going?” Derek asked, eyeing his sister.

“Somewhere, now let’s go before I have to kill Laura with my bare hands.”

“You can’t even reach my neck, midget!”

“Laura!” Talia admonished.

Derek grabbed Cora’s shoulder and lead her in the kitchen and then out to the SUV while he let his mom dealt with Laura.

“Where to?”

“I’m coming with you to the farmer market, I had to get away from Laura and Mom.” Derek nodded, he knew how intrusive they both could be when united and understood the need to get away.

They rode in silence, Cora typing on her phone and sometimes looking out the window. They arrived at the farmer market and quickly part way deciding to meet back in an hour.

Derek was buying what he needed and putting the groceries in the back of the SUV every time he had his hands full. He didn’t want to be bothered with bags while picking the rest.  He had already chosen the fruits and vegetables when Derek stopped near the cheese stand. He was tasting some of them. Wanting to pick the strongest one when he caught a glimpse of Cora. Derek stopped what he was doing and watched her walked around the isles of the market, picking up a fruit and smelling it before putting it back. She looked peaceful.

She suddenly stopped, looked around and smiled at someone that Derek couldn’t quite see yet. She hugged whoever she was meeting, wrapping her arms around that person’s neck. When she let go Derek realized it was Stiles she was hugging. Derek looked away and back to the cheeses, giving them some privacy.

Derek couldn’t help but glanced a few times at them, not missing how close the two were standing to each other, how Stiles hooked his head on Cora’s shoulder to watch something on her phone, how smiling they both were. Derek pursed his lips and walked back to the SUV without buying anything at the stand.

He climbed into the car and stayed there a few minutes, hating himself for feeling jealous. It had been a while since he had been in a relationship. Sometimes Derek missed being in a relationship. Seeing Cora and Stiles like that made him miss the small moments, the domestic ones that Derek loved so much.

 Cora unlocked her door and climbed into the car, shoving her bag in the back seat.

“I ran into Stiles, he wanted to say hi but you disappeared.” Cora stated.

“You two are close.” Derek turned the key in the ignition and started driving.

“You could say that.”

“Is he the reason you sneak out at night?” Derek looked briefly at Cora, enough to see her clenched her jaw and the blush on her cheek.  Derek didn’t need more evidence, he didn’t know his sister much but that he could recognize.

“You could say that.” Cora repeated, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You two look happy together, I hope he treats you well.”

“Derek-“

“Where to, now?” Derek cut. Cora fell silent for a second before turning her head to look at the road.

“Main Street, I’ll walk from here.”

Derek parked the car in front of Kira’s coffee shop. Cora got out and started walking away, waving goodbye at Derek. Derek made his way inside the coffee shop, he needed a strong one.

Kira welcomed him by tripping over her own feet. Derek caught her before her head could hit the floor.

“Once again you’re saving me.” Kira smiled awkwardly, standing back on her feet and blushing.

“Hey, you’re okay?” Derek wondered, checking her to see if she had any injuries.

“I bruised my ego, but It’s something I’m used to by now.” Kira kissed Derek’s cheek before making her way behind the counter. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

“Was that Cora with you?” Kira enquired while trying to not burn herself with the coffee.

“Yes, we went to the farmer market together.”

“Together? As in she wasn’t forced into coming with you? You didn’t blackmailed her into doing it?”

“Why would I blackmailed her?” Derek sipped at his coffee, his nostril flaring at how hot and bitter it was.

“Because you did it when you came over for parties, you did it again when you once ditched classes and then when you and Laura ruined – “

“I see your point. This time she asked to come with me to the farmer market.”  Kira took a muffin from the counter and started eating it.

“The farmer market?”

“She was meeting with Stiles.”  Derek informed Kira.  “ I think they’re dating.”

Kira choked on her muffin, coughing loudly, her face turning red and blotchy. Derek tried to get around the counter but she stopped him.

“Dating? Stiles and Cora?”

“They are always together.” Derek shrugged, feeling stupid for gossiping about his own sister.

“Well, I didn’t see that one coming. I have to call Scott, I can’t believe he didn’t tell me!”

“How are you two doing?”

“We’re good,” Kira smiled. “I think he’s going to ask me to move in with him.” Kira blushed, this time because of shyness.

“You want to move in with him.” It wasn’t a question but Kira nodded nonetheless, her blush darkening.  “Then congrats. He looks like a good guy and you two look good together.”

“You think?” Kira played with the cupcake case.

“Yes.” Derek answered.

Kira grinned at Derek and jumped over the counter to kiss him again on his cheek.

“That’s perfect because I’ll probably need you to help me moving in!”

Derek grunted, he wasn’t annoyed at all but that always made Kira giggled. Derek didn’t finished his coffee but stayed another hour to catch up with the Yukimura family.

Derek drove back to his place, dropped all the bags in the kitchen and started putting everything in the fridge.  He planned on waking up early the day after and poured himself some wine, grabbed his computer and laid on his couch.

It had been a while since he checked the infamous blog. He never received an answer from the blogger, didn’t expect one anymore. He still couldn’t believe someone would write what the blogger had written. Derek checked the last entry on the blog. Now that he wasn’t so pissed at the blogger, he could almost enjoy some articles.

Derek closed his laptop and went to bed. He tossed and turned, not able to find the right position. He thought about the comments, about the article. He could still pictures some of the words he’d read. Derek was both sad and furious about the fact that it affected him.  He was proud that no matter what this person had written he had still been able to have an increasing line of people wanting to eat his food. Derek wanted to rub it all over the blogger face. That no matter what he wrote, Derek won because people were eating his food.

Derek thought about sending pictures of the line of people waiting in front of the food truck, he dreamt about telling the blogger how wrong he was and how he knew nothing about food. Derek imagined many different scenarios in which he was able to tell to the blogger everything he couldn’t stand about him and about what he did.  Anger and revenge keeping him awake until 4 am.

Derek woke up around 10am, eyelids heavy with sleep. He had been looking forward to this weekend for a long time. Derek loved experimenting and inventing. He unwrapped the different appliances he bought for his new kitchen while the coffee was passing in the coffee maker. He looked at his knives, making sure they were sharpened enough. He poured himself coffee in his mug and opened his fridge, thinking about what he wanted to do first.

He cooked in silence for hours, earning few cuts and burns. He had several notepads and notebooks scattered around the room where Derek took notes of how he cooked the food, how long and with what. He made sure to write down everything single detail so he could try the recipe over again. This was only the first draft and first try. He took pictures of the plates and the toasts so he’d be able to remember what they look like and maybe find inspiration for a better presentation.

It was the bell ring that made him look up from his sketches and notes, not knowing who it could be. Derek wasn’t expecting anyone.

“Derek, buddy! Hello.” Derek didn’t have the time to say anything back that he already had a cup in his hand. Stiles walked past him and made his way inside. “I was around and I thought, why not come over since I missed you yesterday at the market! Also Kira made that coffee so if I was you  I wouldn’t drink that but you know. I didn’t want to come over empty handed.”

“Stiles.” Derek grinded his teeth, his grip tight around his cup. Stiles was standing in the middle of his living room, smiling. “What are you doing here?”

“Honestly? Trying to make you like me a little bit more.” Derek’s eyebrow rose in surprise. He hadn’t expected an honest answer. But with Stiles dating Cora Derek understood the need of being at least tolerated by him.

“So you brought me undrinkable coffee?”

“As a peace offering. I mean, dude. It was either that or showing up with burritos from two days ago so really I’m making you a huge favor here.”

Derek eyed him and put the cup away, still unsure of what Stiles was really doing here.

“And I was thinking that maybe- “ Stiles stopped mid sentence, sniffed the air and walked toward the kitchen. Derek followed short, he hadn’t expect anyone to come over and he knew the kitchen was a battlefield.

“No, don’t’!” Derek didn’t have time to warn Stiles before the man enter the kitchen and opened one of the pot. Derek saw Stiles turned off the burner and then dig a spoon in the pan before tasting it. Derek stood there dumbfound. No one had ever just walked inside his kitchen while he was cooking and tried his food. They all had the decency to wait until everything was cooked to steal it.

“Could you not.” Derek fumed, he couldn’t believe this guy.

“Hey, that’s not bad! What were you planning on doing with this?” Derek stared at him and didn’t say a word. Stiles shot his hands up and took a step away from the burners. “Sorry, bro. It smelled like something was burning.”

“Sit here.” Derek pointed in the general direction of the table and stirred his casserole. “Don’t touch anything.”

Stiles did as he was told and Derek let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He rolled his head, making a few bones cracked. It wasn’t an ideal situation but if he wanted to be nicer to Stiles, now was the time. 

Derek turned around to face the man. He saw him half sitting on a stool, his upper body leaning over the table and his head crooked so he could see the recipe on the other side of the table. Derek rolled his eyes, this guy just couldn’t sit still for more than a second.

“You can stay if you help.” Derek offered, hoping that Stiles would decline.

“Sure, what do I do?” Stiles shook off his hoodie and his shirt rilled up, allowing Derek to see the patch of hair going from his navel down to his pants. Derek quickly looked away. 

“Here’s the potatoes, peel them.” Derek didn’t dignified Stiles’s grin with an answer and instead went back to his cooking. They worked in silence for a while, mostly because Derek had no idea what to say.

“Mixing up a bit your menu?” Stiles asked after a while.

“I think it’s important to keep up with seasonality.”

“This recipe here, the one with the clementine. It looks kinda edible.” Derek took the notepad, not remembering which one it was.  “I mean, I wouldn’t mix it up with celery that’s for sure but what do I know?” Derek read over what he wrote hours before and then glanced at Stiles.

“You know about cuisine?” It sounded meaner than Derek intended it to be.  He wasn’t use to people commenting on his recipes when he was creating.

“I only know what I learn with Cooking TV and my immensely experience in fast food.”

“I see.” Derek cleared the table, piling up notebooks and making room on the table.

“What about my potatoes?” Stiles wondered, the peeler in one hand and a half peeled potato in the other, a worried look on his face.

“I only gave you this task to keep you busy. I don’t need potatoes.” Stiles made an exaggerate gasp, shaking his head.

“The betrayal is strong. How dare you say in front of such nice potato that you don’t need them? Can’t you see potatoes have feelings too? Apologies to the potatoes Derek.”

Derek stood there, trying to decipher if the man was serious or not. Stiles burst into laughter a few seconds later and Derek relaxed a little.  

“Sorry?” Stiles grinned at him and Derek had to turn around to put away the stuff in his hands.

“We’ll make fries.” Derek answered

He then took all the dishes he had cooked this morning and spread them on the table, Stiles eyes growing bigger with every new plates.

“Did you sleep at all the past two weeks?” Derek handed Stiles a fork as an answer. Stiles accepted it and waved it over the dishes. “What are we doing here?”

“Trying out your palate. Everything that pops into your mind when you try out something, say it.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem, dude.”

“Stop calling me ‘dude’,” Derek argued.

“Bro? Pal? Mate?”

“Derek is fine. Now, eat.”

They tried out every single meal together, Stiles being very vocal about his likes and dislikes. Derek wrote down every single comments the man had to make about his dishes. Stiles made some interesting comments and some others not so much. Overall it was nice to have someone to do this with. Derek could get blinded by his cooking and his preference for one product over another.

“Which one are you going to pick?” Stiles asked, rubbing his full belly.

“I don’t know yet. I still need to adjust some recipes.”

“You know, you should try this restaurant at the mall. It’s in the food court, it’s small and look rather sheepish next to the magnificence that is McDonalds but don’t judge a restaurant by its neighbor, right?”

“I’m not sure that’s the-“

“Nonsense. What I’m saying is, try it out, let yourself be inspired and then you can thank me when you’ll be a big cooking star.”

“Sure, thank for the tip.”

“Any time.” Derek stood there silent, staring at Stiles.

“About Cora,” Derek started. “Treat her right, okay?”

“Sure, she is really badass though, scares me a little. But then so do you so I’m guessing it’s a Hale thing rather than a Cora thing.” Stiles shrugged, taking a sip of water.

“Right.”

“Anyway. I’d better go I have things to do, places to be.”

“People to annoy.” Stiles gasped, mimicking being offended.

“You learn too fast.” Stiles tried to fist bump Derek who gave him his hand to shake. They stood there awkwardly waiting for the other to understand. Stiles sighed and shook Derek’s hand.

“See you around, Derek.”

“Sure. “

Derek closed the door and a half smile spreading on his lips. This moment with Stiles, it hadn’t been half as bad as Derek thought it could’ve been. Derek was honest enough to admit that Stiles had  wit and humor that he could even appreciate at times.  Derek gathered all the notebooks and settled on his couch, reading over all the notes he made from Stiles comments. They weren’t going to be the best friends, but it was a start, Derek guessed.


End file.
